Online clearance for building plans likely

July 15, 2014 - 5:25:21 am

DOHA: An online system is being developed whereby the various approvals for a building’s plan, its construction or repair can be had through a single-window.

Various ministries and government agencies involved in the above process have joined hands and are working to develop and launch the proposed, common website. The Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning, the Ministry of Interior, Ashghal (Public Works Authority), utility distributor Kahramaa, Ooredoo and Woqod, among other entities, are involved in developing the said online system.

The system to be the first of its kind in the country, is expected to be ready for launch by the end of 2015, a senior civic ministry official disclosed yesterday. “This will be a single-window system for approvals from different ministries and state agencies for a building’s plan, its construction, reconstruction or repair,” said Khalaf Ajlan Al Anzi.

Director of Information Technology at the municipal ministry, Al Anzi said that if all the required documents would be in order, the approvals would be given quickly. He hinted that extra care was being taken in the process of approvals for building plans and construction after the Villaggio Mall fire of May 2012.

This is to make sure that all safety and security procedures are in place with regard to a building. “Obviously, we can’t ignore safety aspects of a building,” he said.

Al Anzi and Umar Al Yefei, head of public relations at the civic ministry, were taking part in a Ramadan tent debate organized by Al Sharq recently.

Once the said online system is in operation, applicants would be able to follow up on their application and check its status while it is in process, said Al Anzi.

Talking of complaints about alleged violations of health and safety rules by people and suggestions given by some for improvement of civic services using the MMS service of the ministry, Al Anzi said this service was highly popular with both, citizens and expatriates. People click photographs using their mobile phone handsets that show alleged violations of civic rules and forward them to the ministry with notes in Arabic and English.

And now Urdu has been added to this service titled ‘Click and Send’. “We are getting complaints and suggestions from an increasing number of expatriates as well.” “Ours was the first government ministry in the entire Arab world to have begun such a service,” he said. “This service is unique, highly popular and our trade mark.”

A highlight of this service is that a photograph sent to the ministry with a complaint or suggestion is immediately displayed at the computer screen of the director of a municipality and the head of the office of the civic minister, so immediate action is taken, said Al Anzi. He said next month an upgraded version of the ministry’s website will be launched.